Cowboys top poll as most popular NFL team

The Sports Xchange

The SportsXchangeOctober 18, 2013

The Dallas Cowboys last made the Super Bowl following the 1995 season, and they have just one playoff win the past 16 years, but they remain America's Team. According to a Harris Poll released this week, the Cowboys remain the most popular NFL team among Americans who follow football. In a survey of 2,577 adults conducted last month, came out on top for the sixth consecutive poll, which is done annually (except 2012, when the poll was not done). The Green Bay Packers are up to No. 2 after ranking No. 3 in 2011. The rest of the top 10 are the No. 3 Denver Broncos (up from a tie for 17th), the No. 4 New York Giants (up from seventh), the No. 5 New England Patriots (down from fourth), the No. 6 Chicago Bears (down from fifth), the No. 7 Pittsburgh Steelers (down from second), the No. 8 San Francisco 49ers (up from 16th), the No. 9 Philadelphia Eagles (up from No. 12) and the No. 10 Miami Dolphins (up from No. 13). The Seattle Seahawks made the largest leap forward in popularity, moving to No. 12 from No. 27. The Broncos (14 places) were the second-bigger gainer. The Indianapolis Colts suffered the biggest fall, dropping 13 places to No. 19. The popularity of Peyton Manning could account for at least part of the gain for Denver and the loss for Indianapolis, as the quarterback moved from the Colts to the Broncos last year. The Jacksonville Jaguars ranked last (32nd) for the fourth consecutive poll. The Tennessee Titans are No. 31, down from No. 21 two years ago. The poll also asked fans which team they believe will win the Super Bowl this season. The Broncos were selected by 28 percent of fans, with the Seahawks second at 14 percent, followed by the Patriots (9 percent), the 49ers (8 percent), the Packers (7 percent), the Bears (5 percent) and the Atlanta Falcons (4 percent).